The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-08
TIE PANAMA Al.
plain Facts and Figu1 ~ Lieut..
Charles G,

plain Facts and Figu1 ~ Lieut..
Charles G.
From the Ne,c You
One of the most thoroug oareful re-
norts hitherto made on IT, A4n2ma canal
will shortly be placed in ~ 1pds of the
Novv Department by LidN CHARLES c.
Rogers, intelligence Officer % Board the
1rnited States steamer Galen6
While the Galena lay atsanchor off Colon
last month, Lieut.. Rogers was assigned by
n Navy De:1 " accompany NJ.
Charles ades sesiderit of the
canal. on his tour 70 inspect the.wor and
with the ctors for the future
rrogress Of the enterprise. Among Others of
he marty were NJ. Henri Cottu, administra-
tor Of the canal; NJ. lacquer, director gen.
oral of the works on the Isthmus; M. Hutin,
rom the head office in Paris, and NJ. Ro-
meiIe. secretary to NJ. de Lesseps.
The trip commenced on March 10 and
lasted seventeen days. During that time
Lieut. Rogers saw every foot of the canal,
talIIed with the contractors on the works,
With the laborers, and both with those peo-
ME who were enthusiasts on the canals
prospects and with those who were opposed
n if and little sanguine of its ultimate
success. In cases where he doubted the in
formation given him he went practically to
work on his own account to verify the fig
ures and estimates stated.
The report will cover the work on the
canal from the close of 1885 and
thehe year of 1885, and full and
detailed account of the present organization,
administration financial condition and
many other interesting points, connected
with the enterprise.
A reporter found Lieut.. Rogers on board
the Galena, moored III the North river. The
Lieutenant was naturally unwilling that his
report should see the light of publicity until
il reached the Navy Department, but he
co,lrteously gave what information he con-
sidered of public interest without reference
to his official manuscript.
Can you give any exact figures as to the
amount of work completed and that re-
naming to be doneP" was the first question
put to him.
Estimates of the total excavations neces-
sary to complete the canal is now placed at
105 900, 900 cubic metres Out of this up TO
date the amount completed is 81 ,92O, 900
cubic metres, leaving 73, 10000 cubic me-
tres to be excavated. Up to the end of 1885
B,417. 31S cubic metres had been excavated.
During 1886 II, 727, 900 cubic metres were
added"
THE QUESTION oP TINE.
"And the question of time of the compile
ton of the canalW
Il put it down at seven years. That is,
without there being any bitches and every
thing working in perfect order. NJ. Ferdi-
nand de Lesseps has quoted the most san
guine figures as to the possible output in the
coming two years. To my mind there will
be no increase on the present output. In
the first place it is easy to see that the deeper
the works get the more difficult becomes the
task of removing the rock and soil. The
difficulty of the Culebra Mountain has not
vet been solved. During my stay on the
Isthmus tried to get NJ Charles de Les
seps to give me some idea of the time it
would take to complete the canal. He was
rather guarded in his reply, saying; In two
years the canal will be completed from
Colon to Kilometre Forty-four, and from
La Boca to Paraiso. As to the Culebra, |
leave you to form your own conclusions. 1t
is a great and difficult work
The serious question in the Culebra is
how to avoid the accumulation of sediment
and the vast land slides which it is subject
TO- LAST year rs, 600 cubic metres of earth
we're washed away or fell into the bed of
the canal, and, according to the rate of ex-
traction of 1886, it must have taken the
work of six weeks to make good the dam
age. The hillside on the left is a mixture
VI SttJu anu DuI
the rainy season the surface deposit be-
comes saturated with water, and the in
creased weight, coupled with the incline,
causes the deposit to slide over the smooth
surface of the clay the into canal excava-
ton works The clay in turn contracts
during the dry season. Large assures re-
suit, and hence another source of landslides.
The natural wash of the sides by the heavy
rains, torrential in character, is another
cause of deposit. Worse than all this is the
fact that up to the present time the noun
tain on the left side of the cut is found to be
moving bodily toward the axis of the canal
at an annual rate of from twelve to
eighteen inches, owing to the cutting away
Of its lower support.
NO CERTAINTY.
'In such an uncertain climate and such
soil as that of the Isthmus there can be no
certainty as to any estimated work being
accomplished in any given time. The geo
logical surveys are incomplete, and there
fore they work more or less in the dark.
Over and above this the realization of any
predicted rate becomes more impracticable
when the companys 1000 francs-bonds
have market value of only $50 francs.
Granting that the lower portions of the
canal are easy of excavation, the sections of
Obispo, Erlperado and Culebra. present
many obstacles besides rocks. Were all
the money necessary for the completion of
the canal subscribed to-day, and were both
men and machines worked to their utmost,
II would require seven years to finish the
work. The contractors have all engaged to
complete their work in 1889, but there is no
penalty attached to their failure so to do"
LABOR TROUBLES.
q, is not the labor question liable to trouble
the canal companyP
Yes, should say so--certainly. The
pay of the laborer on the canal is one and a
halt Mexican dollars day, or about SOC. Of
our own money. There are now 10, $40 men
engaged on the work and 1926 officials. The
iaborers have been principally drawn from
Jamaica, but the British government have
OF late been discouraging the natives from
gong to the lsthmus. largely on account OF
tle very large number who return homesick
ana without having saved any money.
Ihere are about 500 New Orleans colored
men on the works, most of whom have come
on the coasting trade schooners. The canal
company have now been compelled to inn
port Kroomen from the West coast of
africa, and 300 of these are now on trial.
a number Of Southern Cinnamon have also
ntely arrived. The men work in the dry
weather from twenty to twenty-five days
9 9 OF the month. They quit work on Satur-
ia W and for the most part do not come back
Illl Monday or Tuesday. During these holt
nays they drink bad liquor and gamble
IN, ms gambling takes most of their money
put u cannot be suppressed, as the govern
menu derives a revenue from it, The direc-